Education and Local History around Portsmouth

With the advent of the Titanic’s 100 year anniversary, many horror stories will be told about those who survived and those who didn’t. As the roll call of passengers is listed, some names will never be mentioned. You may wonder why?

You will hear the names of the wealthy first-class passengers and of less wealthy ticket holders, hoping to start a new life in America. Also mentioned will be the brave crew and the musicians. People like the 50 young bellboys who never tried to board the few lifeboats – all died.

You may also hear about those saved by not boarding the Titanic. One such was William Barnes from Southampton. He had been working with his father for the West India Company in the docks. William managed to get himself hired as a steward on Titanic. His wife Lilian was close to giving birth to their second child. As they were living with his parents, William was prepared to leave his wife and son in his mother’s care. But as Titanic prepared for departure, William decided to stay with his wife and so his life was spared. He lived to see his new daughter born two days after Titanic sank.

The names you won’t hear are those of over 90 people whose bodies were never identified. Some were buried ashore in unnamed graves. The rest, including five women, were buried at sea. Just think on that for a moment. Nobody knew who these people were. Or if they did know, they didn’t care. Did they join the ship at the last minute, their names never entered onto the passenger roster? Was one a late substitute steward, replacing William Barnes? All of them had a history – a life lived somewhere, with someone, before the iceberg struck. Yet it seems they were never reported as missing by anyone. It is almost as if they never existed. Were they running from something or someone? Did they hope they were running to something better? The only certainty is that they have gone down in history without being identified. And that, perhaps, is the saddest story of all about Titanic – that they should remain anonymous – as if they were of no importance. R.I.P.(Researched by Anne Grant)

534 Boy Sailors who died on the Atlantic Convoy ships.

Today’s 16 – 17 year old youths worry about which college courses to take, to increase their chances of achieving their dream job. Seventy-five years ago the choices were very different. Some boys, such as Jim Reed, joined the Royal Navy in 1937 as a boy sailor aged 15, at HMS St Vincent, Gosport. Two years later, aged 17, he was playing his part in the Second World War, on the Atlantic Convoy ships. At the same time, other boy seamen were deferred onto the Royal Oak. When this ship was sunk, 125 boys died. In total 534 boys died between 1939 and1945, serving in the Royal Navy.

In recent years Mr Reed has spent £8,000 of his own money researching this history and then campaigning for a memorial to the boys who died. When writing his own life story, he found memorials that record the ships sunk, but none to the boys who sacrificed their lives. His campaign has culminated in a floor plaque to be laid in Portsmouth Cathedral on 18th March 2012 at 11am, during a Dedication Service. A Book of Remembrancewill also record the names of all the boy seamen who died, so they will no longer be forgotten.

To date, people have donated £5,000 to the memorial fund, to recompense war hero Jim Reed. Anyone wishing to donate can send a cheque to Mr. Reed at 10 Cheltenham Gardens, HedgeEnd, SO30 2UR, cheque payable to RN Boys Memorial Fund.

Memorial to WWII RN Boy Sailors

British Pathe News has made available, as free-to-view, a film of the last journey, in 1931, of Portsmouth’s most famous marine artist – William Wylie, R.A. His body was conveyed from Portmouth Naval Dockyard, by the Royal Navy, to his final resting place in the grounds of Portchester Castle. Wylie regularly used local Portsmouth families as ‘sitters’ in his paintings. Follow this link to view ‘Across the sea he loved so well.’

Oral History Pioneer:George Ewart Evans Sound Recordings Now Online. BRITISH LIBRARY – Current British Oral History Work Rob Perks, Lead Curator of Oral History at the British Library writes in The Journal of theOral History Society that 250 recordings of interviews and songs produced by oral history pioneer George Ewart Evans between 1956 and 1977 are now available online, through The British Library`s Archive Sound Recordings. Go to the website http://sounds.bl.uk/

The recordings cover rural life and argriculture in the late 19th and early 20th century and give a wonderful insight into peoples lives at that time.
BOOK : A welcome book published last year : SHOWFOLK: AN ORAL HISTORY OF A FAIRGROUND DYNASTY by : Frank Bruce.

Edinburgh. The European Ethnographical Centre National Museums Scotland 2010, 288p , £10 .99, paperback. There are few publications on Scottish showpeople, but here is a very good one based on a showground family who were interviewed to give a rare glimpse of life on the circuit.

Current Oral History in Southampton and Goring.This Is My Home Now. Refugees in Southampton from 1939 to the present day. Jenny Cuffe, a journalist has initiated the work and writes in the Journal of Oral History that 28 men and women are recording their life histories to be lodged in the Southampton City Archives. The life stories will centre on people from different areas of the world focusing on events experienced by them including political ones and conflicts that they have been eyewitness to. Their strength and endurance which has seen them through in all parts of our world will be shown in the context of survival and loss and also belonging and identity. This Is My Home Now is led by magazine publisher Mai’ anna Moreau, and the details of the project can be found on the website: http://www. myhomenow.org. The work is funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund.

Speaking Up For Disability. Attitudes and Experiences: Changes since the 1940s for disabled people in West Sussex.Voice For Disability has the funding of HLF to consider the changes in experiences and attitudes to people with disabilities from the 1940s to now. One of the key aims is to raise the awareness of the many contributions of disabled people to society in the area. An educational pack and a website will be produced and also a mobile exhibition. Disabled and able bodied volunteers will work with the co-ordinator and gain skills in the subjects of oral history interviewing, analysis, transcription, indexing, and archiving.

Living Memories – People’s History. In my career as an Oral Historian I have worked on numerous projects across the City of Portsmouth, Hampshire and West Sussex.Whilst working with the community, I met and recorded the histories of some fascinating people, including a 100 year-old gentleman, who enlisted in the Royal Navy at the age of 16, by pretending he was actually 18 years old. His life history included a period of time spent inRussia, during the Russian Revolution. He also served his country during the first Falklands War.

Another Oral History project recorded the life of a woman who was born in Landport in 1897. During World War I she worked as a Clippie on the PortsmouthTrams from 1914, where she said she enjoyed a good life. But this ended when the men came home from the war and wanted their jobs back. She had to give her work up and return to the life of a housewife.

Scroll down for other project examples, including the Airspeed workers.

Pat Carter has wide experience in recording Oral History, including a Portsmouth based project recording the war time experiences of women who worked at Airspeed on the Portsmouth Airport site, during World War Two.

Airspeed had Nevil Shute Norway as one of it’s directors. He went on to become a well known author. Other directors included A.H.Tiltman, AmyJohnson and Alan Cobham.

Pat Carter is available for consultation work on Oral History projects. Please use the About page for contact details.

Can I simply say what a relief to seek out somebody who actually is aware of what theyre speaking about on the internet. You undoubtedly know tips on how to deliver a problem to gentle and make it important. Extra people need to learn this and perceive this facet of the story. I cant believe youre no more widespread because you positively have the gift.

Thanks so much for providing individuals with remarkably special possiblity to read articles and blog posts from this blog. It can be so cool and also stuffed with a good time for me and my office acquaintances to visit your website at minimum thrice in a week to read through the newest stuff you have got. Of course, I’m also usually impressed with the terrific concepts served by you. Certain 4 facts in this article are undoubtedly the simplest I’ve had.

It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this brilliant blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers

Greetings from Florida! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during lunch break. I love the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, amazing site!

Admiring the persistence you put into your blog and detailed information you present. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material. Fantastic read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.

Greetings from Colorado! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the information you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, fantastic site!

Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of Oral History patcartertuition . Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.

Hey! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

Hi there I am so happy I found your blog page, I really found you by mistake, while I was searching on Askjeeve for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a fantastic post and a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the great job.

Hello there! I appreciated reading through your post. So far I am enjoying reading here at Oral History patcartertuition. I must say that it was the very first article on your site I really loved and where I had a sense of understanding, know what I mean? Anyway, maintain the posting and I’m going to be back once again.

I’m impressed, I must say. Really rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the issue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.

I think this is among the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on few general things, The site style is wonderful, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers

An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers

Hey Patcartertuition,
In addition to your post I was wondering, I am currently behind on an oral history project and am need of people willing to be interviewed. My topic is simply the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization Strike of 1981 and it’s affect on labor policies. I live in St. Paul but I can find a way to interview anyone. Please help, even is you know someone who was involved.
Good Job!

Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.

Hey I am so thrilled I found your site, I really found you by error, while I was searching on Askjeeve for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb job.

Hey there I am so grateful I found your webpage, I really found you by error, while I was looking on Google for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a fantastic post and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the moment but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the superb work.

I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent info I was looking for this information for my mission.

I have been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.

Greetings from California! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break. I love the knowledge you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how quick your blog loaded on my phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, wonderful site!

I want to get across my admiration for your generosity for people that have the need for help on in this idea. Your personal dedication to getting the message across appeared to be particularly helpful and have regularly allowed others like me to get to their dreams. Your new insightful key points means a whole lot a person like me and additionally to my peers. With thanks; from each one of us.

Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.

It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

Howdy would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re working with? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different web browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good hosting provider at a fair price? Many thanks, I appreciate it!